Association:Reign MMA

Class: Heavyweight

Have you competed in both? Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub has.The Hybrid launched his MMA career in 2008 with a TKO victory over Jay Lester that lasted 30 seconds. After that he rattled off three more first-round TKO’s, which earned him the attention of the UFC and a spot on season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”The show ended in the one blemish on Schaub’s record – a loss to Roy Nelson. Since thenhe’s made a name for himself in the UFC as one of the top heavyweight contenders in the world with three more UFC wins.

Before MMA, Brendan was an All-American kid, playing a number of sports, but it was football that got his attention and the gridiron was where he excelled. He excelled as a fullback at the University of Colorado and spent time in the NFL with the Buffalo Bulls after earning his degree in Sociology in 2006.

But fighting always called to him. As a kid he took Tae Kwon Do to emulate his dad, a second-degree black belt in the art. He also won a Golden Gloves boxing championship in 2007, so the kid is no pushover.

As one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in MMA, Schaub first six wins were all by KO or TKO in the first round. But he remembers his victory over Chase Gormley at UFC Live 1 on March 21, 2010 as his most memorable moment to date in MMA. The win over a tough opponent was a great comeback after his first loss and came in front of a hometown crowd in Colorado that included hundreds of friends and family members.

When he defeated Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121, it was his first fight that went the distance, proving that The Hybrid was more than a first-round brawler. Afterward he called out former UFC heavyweight Frank Mir. And why not? B